Sayaka Okiura
Sayaka (清花), after her marriage name Okiura Sayaka (冲浦 清花), is one of the characters of Kobato. Her main role is the manager and teacher of Yomogi Kindergarten. She has known Kiyokazu Fujimoto since she was seven, when her family adopted him. She is also the ex-husband of Kazuto Okiura. Appearance Sayaka is a youthful young woman (probably in her late twenties) with black hair which is tied back neatly in a ponytail while leaving two brands of hair locks hanging down on both sides of her face, blackish-purple eyes and a beauty mark below the left eye. Personality Sayaka is shown to be a very kind-hearted, polite and trustworthy young woman who cares not only for her young students but also for Kobato Hanato. Deep down, Sayaka is quite sad over her husband's actions.She also seems to act as Kiyokazu Fujimoto's older sister as she always help him when he needs it. Biography Childhood During Sayaka's childhood, her father adopted a boy named Kiyokazu Fujimoto, who became part of the family and they struck a deep relationship. The age difference between the two is not clear, but it seems to be quite large. Adolescence During high school, Sayaka met Chitose Mihara and became a great friend of hers. The two were also in the same student club. Plot Anime Manga When Sayaka offers to let Kobato Hanato help out at the nursery, Kiyokazu Fujimoto berates her for trusting someone she has no knowledge of or reason to trust. Her response would seem to indicate that Fujimoto has been right about this in the past. But when two men show up at the nursery and start threatening the children, then Sayaka, both she and Fujimoto are shocked when Kobato puts herself between Sayaka and one of the thugs as a human shield, despite obviously trembling in fear. When she learns that the nursery is in debt, Kobato naively suggests holding a bazaar to raise money. While Fujimoto is incredulous about the possibility of raising much money, Sayaka decides to hold one, and encourages Kobato to make posters. However, on the day of the bazaar, nobody seems to show up at first, until Chitose Mihara arrives with her daughters and explains that the posters in town had had the date changed. Kobato decides to go out to do something, and manages to create enough interest among locals that many soon come to the nursery for the bazaar. Sayaka gently encourages the budding relationship between Fujimoto and Kobato, and remarks that as her "little brother" is moving forward at last, she should as well. When Fujimoto relays Kazuto's message that he will come one last time to resolve their issues about the kindergarten, he also confesses, "I always loved you." Sayaka hugs him, then remarks on his use of "loved", and challenges him to use the present tense when he tells "her". Fujimoto gently agrees, having re-established his original bond with Sayaka. The next day, Kazuto arrives and attempts to keep up the pretense that he is behind her problems, before Sayaka tells him that her father had investigated Kazuto Okiura carefully before he ever agreed to their marriage. While Kazuto's father is a Yakuza mob boss, Sayaka's father learned that Kazuto had been acting honestly in business and trying to separate from the mob. However, Kazuto's father refused to accept that, and after Kazuto and Sayaka got married, he arranged to trick Sayaka's father into the debt, finally driving the man to work so hard that his health gave out, and he died. Then Kazuto's father was set to target Sayaka. Kazuto had left Sayaka to protect her, and also pretended to be the one who had manipulated Sayaka's father in order to get his father to leave Sayaka alone. Sayaka slapped Kazuto, challenging him to be honest and admit that he still loved her. Stunned, Kazuto admits that he didn't want to upset her further, but Sayaka challenges him that they have this one chance to be together and they have to take it. But they are surprised when Kobato interrupts, asking that if Kazuto's father stopped interfering, would they be happy? Sayaka agrees and Kobato declares to heaven that she has "a wish". At this point, Sayaka, Kazuto and Fujimoto are all frozen as their memories of Kobato are removed and Kobato's wish is created. Sixteen years later, Kobato returns to the nursery to find that Sayaka and Kazuto are both running the nursery together and Kazuto's father is no longer interfering in their lives. Although Fujimoto recovers his memories of Kobato at this point, this is due to a specific wish made by Ginsei for Fujimoto and Kobato, so it seems unlikely that either Sayaka or Kazuto regain their memories of her. Trivia * Her name Sayaka 'means "clear" (清) ('saya) and "flower" (花) (ka). See Also *Sayaka Okiura Gallery Category:Content Category:Characters Category:Female Characters Category:Kobato Protagonists Category:Article stubs Category:Kobato Characters Category:Nursery Characters